Former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan has revealed that he used to suffer from depression.

In his regular column for the Seattle Weekly newspaper, the Velvet Revolver rocker admitted that he had “sunk into a thick, black state of being” after the terrorist attacks which took place in America on September 11, 2001.

“I had never experienced real depression in my childhood or early adulthood,” he wrote. “I had plenty of friends who did, but still I would scratch my head… and think to myself ‘Just snap out of it!’. But I HAVE suffered panic attacks for most of my life, and I do understand that chemical imbalances and other inputs can stack up against someone… way beyond the ‘Just snap out of it!’ realm.”

Discussing how he felt after September 11, however, he went on :

My own place on this earth seemed muddy and without bedrock. My daughters were 4 and 1, and suddenly my idealistic vision of being the perfect dad was acutely obscured by movements beyond my ability to control I suck into a thick, black state of being. Depression for the first time.

The bassist also went on to reveal how he’d overcome his problems. “I have found in fighting thoughts and feelings of depression is to actually talk and get out – face the day head on if you can,” he wrote. “‘Today is going to be the best day in my history’ is not a bad place to start. Share your ‘stuff’ with others. Don’t be afraid to do it. You may just be surprised by how many like-minded people there are out there.”